Jeremy Welter of Dallas-based Ashford Hospitality Trust wrote to Dean last month that the hotel needs control of the space as it plans a $20 million room renovation project in preparation for the Music City Center’s opening next spring. The slow progress of the medical mart that has been planned for the old convention hall, as well as the emergence of other redevelopment opportunities there, have delayed the lease talks, Welter wrote.

The developers of the Nashville Medical Trade Center, who plan to build nearly 1 million square feet of space on top of the Nashville Convention Center, announced leases with six companies and one nonprofit consortium in May, ending an eight-month drought. They announced the project in 2009.

Under the Renaissance’s existing lease with Metro, the hotel is entitled to convention space provided by the city through 2017. Converting the convention hall to another use before then requires a lease amendment to satisfy the hotel’s needs.

“As you are no doubt aware, it is critical that we secure use of the meeting facility so that we can make reasonable and necessary decisions about future operations and investment,” Welter wrote to Dean, adding:

Although our ability to be ready for business when the MCC opens is in serious jeopardy, we are willing to do whatever it takes to complete the majority of our renovation by that time. Every additional day of delay, however, increases the number of rooms that will be unavailable or not renovated when the MCC opens. While starting the renovation as soon as possible is in all of our best interests, we cannot commit the investment capital for this work to start until we are able to secure the meeting space. If we are unable to secure a commitment relatively soon, rather than having a majority of the rooms complete by the time the MCC opens, we will have to delay our renovation by a year.